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Meaning & use

running away from something

phrase·Everyday

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UK/ˌrʌnɪŋ əˈweɪ frəm ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
US/ˌrʌnɪŋ əˈweɪ frəm ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

“running away from something” is a form of “run away from”.

Meanings

  1. phrasephrasal verb

    leaving a place or person quickly to escape danger or an unwanted situation

    Grammar: The object follows 'from': running away from home.

    Patterns

    • running away from home
    • running away from someone
    • running away from danger

    The dog was running away from the fireworks.

    She kept running away from home as a teenager.

    Running away from the fire, they left everything behind.

  2. phrasephrasal verbfigurative

    avoiding a difficult feeling, duty, or problem instead of dealing with it

    Grammar: Often figurative: running away from your responsibilities.

    Patterns

    • running away from a problem
    • running away from responsibility
    • running away from the truth

    He's just running away from his problems instead of facing them.

    You can't keep running away from difficult decisions.

    Running away from the truth only makes things worse.

Common combinations

running away from home
Running away from home is a cry for help for many young people.
running away from your problems
He thinks travel is exciting, but he's really running away from his problems.
running away from responsibility
The manager was accused of running away from responsibility.

Synonyms and how they differ

fleeing
More formal and urgent, and it usually means escaping real physical danger, not avoiding a personal issue.
escaping
Focuses on getting free from a place or situation; it can sound more successful than 'running away'.
avoiding
A plain verb for not dealing with something; it does not suggest physically leaving.

Opposites

facing

Word family

runaway noun
A person, often a child, who has left home without permission.
runaway adjective
Used for something that is out of control, like a runaway success or a runaway train.

Commonly confused: running away from something or run away with?

running away from something vs run away with

'Run away with' means to win easily or to steal something, as in 'she ran away with the prize', not to escape from something.

Practice

He says he needs a fresh start, but really he's running away ___ his problems.

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